The degree of local control over Cape Town’s affairs has varied considerably throughout its history. The city was projected to run out of water, but a combination of rainfall and savings by residents averted this scenario. The first wave of Asian immigration to South Africa started in 1654. Cape Town is a large city located in South Africa.It is the second largest city in that country based on population and is the largest inland area (at 948 square miles or 2,455 square kilometers). The Cape was permanently taken from the Dutch by the British in return for a large sum of money. These first immigrants were banished to the Cape by the Dutch Batavian High Court. Three years later, however, the war resumed and the British returned their garrison to the Cape after defeating Dutch forces at the Battle of Blaauwberg (1806). The latter settlement was the start of what would later develop into the townships of the Cape Flats. Rust-en-Vrede in Durbanville is the oldest surviving non-religious building in the area, having been built around 1810. Architectural heritage of Cape Town: A stroll through history Become a tourist in your own town and take a wander through the streets of Cape Town to … Slaves were freed in 1834, but they were required to serve four years of indenture. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Washing and cooking facilities were public and inadequate, and the grid-like streets were patrolled by … A wildfire is causing serious damage to South Africa's University of Cape Town, destroying historic texts and causing student evacuations. The Alfred Dock, opened in 1870, encouraged shipping. With the dismantling of apartheid, Cape Town’s government was converted to majority rule. In 1828 the burgher-senate was abolished, and two residents were appointed to the governor’s council of advisers. It lasted for the better part of 50 years, until finally in 1994 the first democratic elections took place. Dramatic images and videos have emerged showing a set of wildfires that engulfed parts of the iconic Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, and damaged historic buildings in the city. The blaze spread quickly after breaking out on Sunday morning near a memorial to politician Cecil Rhodes. By 1795, however, the Netherlands was invaded by France and the VOC was in complete financial ruin. The British informed the Commissioner that the Prince had fled to England. Simon van der Stel, after whom the town of Stellenbosch is named, arrived in 1679 to replace Van Riebeeck as governor. [14] This period saw major developments for the city, and can be said to be the start of Cape Town as a city in its own right. It was here, in the Mother City, where the first European colonists set foot in South Africa—which also marked the beginning of the South African slave trade. A period of strong economic growth and social development ensued, with a rapid expansion of the Cape Government Railways and other infrastructure, connecting Cape Town to the Cape's vast interior. In 1867 Cape Town obtained full municipal government, with three councillors from each of six districts; the chairman of the council became mayor. The First World War hastened the modernisation of Cape Town. [17] This and many similar declarations under the Group Areas Act resulted in whole communities being uprooted and relocated to the Cape Flats. Due to the long time it took to send and receive news from Europe, the Cape Commissioner of the time knew only that the French had been taking territory in the Netherlands and that the Dutch could change sides in the war at any moment. The native inhabitants were forced to declare a fixed residence and were not permitted to move between regions without written permission. History of Cape Town. Source: www.castleofgoodhope.co.za. The first large territorial expansion occurred in 1657, when farms were granted by the VOC to a few servants in an attempt to increase food production. Human communities had lived in the Cape Peninsula and Western Cape long before the beginning of the Christian era, surviving by hunting, fishing and gathering edible plants and roots. Van Riebeeck and his senior officials constituted a council of policy and court of justice. Van der Stel founded the Cape wine industry by bringing grape vines with him on his ship, an industry which would quickly grow to be important for the region. Table Mountain was given its name in 1503 by António de Saldanha, a Portuguese admiral and explorer. Cape Town is one of South Africa’s most historically important cities. As in the rest of the British Empire, slaves – estimated to be around 39,000 in number – were emancipated in 1834. A. Heese, Die Herkoms van die Afrikaner 1657 - 1867. Add to wish list Find a Travel Trade Partner Share. Welcome to our History Tour. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. About 10,000 Dutch families, for various reasons, left for the north in search of new land, thereby opening up the interior of the country. Cape Town's history and heritage. One of the most momentous events in South African history, the Great Trek (Afrikaans: die Groot Trek), began in 1836. [9] A Portuguese force led by Francisco de Almeida was defeated in the Battle of Salt River by the indigenous Goringhaiqua Khoikhoi clan. Cape Town. Groote Kerk. History of Cape Town. Lifestyle. As a consequence, Lloyds of London refused to cover ships spending the winter in Table Bay. He also promoted territorial expansion in the Colony. In this period, the British saw the control of the Cape as key to their ability to maintain their command in India. Britain reoccupied the Cape in 1806, and its title was confirmed in 1814. The name given to the mountain by the Khoi inhabitants was Hoeri 'kwaggo ("sea mountain"). After a long political struggle, this was followed by responsible government in 1872, when the Cape won the right to elect its own locally-accountable executive and Prime Minister. The Netherlands entered the war on the French side, and thus a small garrison of French troops were sent to the Cape to protect it against the British. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership. Strong winds fanned flames across the slopes of Table Mountain and onto the University of Cape Town campus, destroying a library housing priceless pieces of South African history. On becoming the Cape's new Prime Minister, he restricted the multiracial Cape franchise, and instigated a rapid expansion of British influence into the hinterland. Cape Town is not known as the "Mother City" for nothing. Durbanville relic restored. These farms were situated along the Liesbeeck River and the VOC still retained financial control of them. In 1657 the company began to release men from its employ so that they could become free burghers (citizens) and farmers, and in 1658 the company began to import slaves. In late August 1998, a terrorist explosion rocked the city's packed Planet Hollywood restaurant, killing one and injuring dozens. At its inception, the population stood at 20,016, of which 10,560 were white. [18], Beginning in 2015, Cape Town entered a drought that lasted into 2018. The history of Cape Town harbour. A rise in inter-ethnic tensions ensued, followed by the Anglo-Boer War.[16]. Further political development occurred in 1840 when the Cape Town Municipality was formed. The Huguenots brought important experience in wine production to the Cape, greatly bolstering the industry, as well as providing strong cultural roots. The British drew up a complex treaty whereby pieces of real estate were exchanged for money by various countries. As the city of Johannesburg grew from the gold fields, Cape Town lost its position as the single dominant city in the region, but, as the primary port, it nonetheless benefitted from the increased trade to the region. The first European to anchor at Table Bay and climb Table Mountain was the Portuguese navigator António de Saldanha. These troops, however, left by 1784. An influx of people followed the discovery inland of diamonds in 1870 and gold in 1886. The war between France and England ended in 1814 with a British victory. During much of the 20th century there were no racial bars in Cape Town, and both whites and nonwhites could vote and hold office. In 1948, the National Party stood for election on its policy of racial segregation, later known as apartheid. Communities of people had lived in the Cape region long before the beginning of the Christian era, surviving by hunting, fishing and gathering … The Cape was under Dutch rule from 1652 to 1795 and again from 1803 to 1806. The Castle of Good Hope. The settlers bartered with the native Khoisan for their sheep and cattle. They were the ancestors of the Khoisan peoples of modern times - the Bushmen (San) and the Hottentot (Khoikhoi). In particular, the rise to power of the ambitious colonialist Cecil Rhodes, fueled by the new diamond industry, led to great instability. [19], This article is about the history of Cape Town; for the modern-day city, see, Hahn, T. Tsuni-IIGoam: The Supreme Being of the Khoi-Khoi, Trübner's Oriental Series, 1881. By 1754, the population of the settlement on the Cape had reached 5,510 Europeans and 6,729 slaves. Life in Cape Town 1919 – 1945. The first Europeans to reach the Cape were the Portuguese. Van Riebeeck's party of three vessels landed at the cape on 6 April 1652. In 1966, the once-vibrant District Six area was bulldozed and declared a white-only area. The British immediately announced the beginning of free trade. After a series of bitter court and constitutional battles, the already limited voting rights of the Coloured community in Cape Province were revoked. Forests in Hout Bay and the southern and eastern flanks of Table Mountain provided timber for ships and houses. With a fascinating history going back 350 years, Cape Town offers a huge selection of museums and places of cultural interest to visit. 1601 Joris van Spilbergen, leading a Dutch fleet, casts anchor in the Bay of Saldaha (Aguada da Saldanha) and names it Table Bay after Table Mountain, while the original name is … The area fell out of regular contact with Europeans until 1652, when Jan van Riebeeck and other employees of the Dutch East India Company (Dutch: Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, or simply VOC) were sent to the Cape to establish a halfway station to provide fresh water, vegetables, and meat for passing ships travelling to and from Asia. The Prince of Orange fled to England for protection, which allowed for the establishment of the Dutch Batavian Republic. On April 7, 1652, the company’s representative, Jan van Riebeeck, stepped ashore to select sites for a fort and a vegetable garden. Term TaxonomyName: Cape Town's history and heritageTerm TaxonomyName: Cape Town's history and heritage. Nelson Mandela was elected president, and apartheid was over. Burgher representation on the council increased to six, and from 1785 onward a committee of three burghers and three officials formally advised the council on urban matters. The first non-Dutch immigrants to the Cape, the Huguenots, arrived in 1688. The colony began to spread beyond the Cape Peninsula, and the council of policy came to rely increasingly on the burgher-councillors for fact-finding and for advice on town affairs. Cape Town History. [11] The first of a long series of border conflicts between the inhabitants in the European-controlled area and native inhabitants began in 1658 when settlers clashed with the Khoi, who realised that they were losing territory. A wildfire raging on the slopes of Cape Town's Table Mountain spread to the University of Cape Town, burning the historic campus library and forcing the evacuation of students Sunday. The Dutch gave their own names to the native inhabitants that they encountered, calling the pastoralists "Hottentots", those that lived on the coast and subsisted on shellfishing "Strandlopers", and those who were hunter-gatherers were named "Bushmen". Water from the Fresh River, which descended from Table Mountain, was channelled into canals to provide irrigation. Just offcampus on the … As of 2007, the Cape Town's population was 3,497,097. The German anthropologist Theophilus Hahn recorded that the original name of the area was '||Hui !Gais' – a toponym in the indigenous Khoe language meaning "where clouds gather." The historic Mostert’s Mill smoulders as firefighters battle to contain a fire, in Cape Town Photograph: Mike Hutchings/Reuters. A restaurant was destroyed. Other historical places of interest for visitors include the Castle of Good Hope, the Cape Town Diamond Museum, … The Dutch Settlement 1652 – In July 1651 Jan van Riebeeck submitted a viability report to the DIEC, to establish a refreshment post at the Cape of Good HopeThis certainly impressed the Lords 17, and van … Hours after being released from prison on 11 February 1990, Nelson Mandela made his first public speech in decades from the balcony of the Cape Town City Hall, heralding the beginning of a new era for South Africa. They are the ancestors of the Khoisan peoples of modern times - the Bushmen (San) and the Hottentot (Khoikhoi). Cape Town’s climate is on par with California and the Mediterranean. The next recorded European sighting of the Cape was by Vasco da Gama in 1497 while he was searching for a route that would lead directly from Europe to Asia. The Dutch government was too impoverished and depleted to argue, and agreed with the condition that they be allowed to continue to use the Cape for repairs and refreshment. The harbour and industrial sites were extended again, and modern buildings rose in the central business district. Work on the Castle of Good Hope, the first permanent European fortification in the area, began in 1666. Add to wish list Find a Travel Trade Partner. Cape Town has a cosmopolitan cultural mix which has been influenced over the years mainly by the Dutch, French and British, with a significant influence also having come from Malaysia. Starting at the dawn of civilization, with the first written records dating back to the 1400s, it is also the starting point of the history … Timeline: Cape Town 1600-1699. A. As elsewhere in Africa and other parts of the world, trading in slaves was a significant activity. In 1840, when the town’s population had reached some 20,000, the municipality of Cape Town came into existence; it incorporated the suburbs of Green Point and Sea Point to the north and west of Signal Hill. This committee acquired official status in 1793. The improved roads, the introduction of an electric tramway, and a common concern for water supplies and sewers prompted proposals for amalgamation of the urban sprawl. Under apartheid, the Cape was considered a "Coloured labour preference area", to the exclusion of Black Africans. Finally completed in 1679, the castle is the oldest building in South Africa. In 1986, Desmond Tutu was enthroned as the first black archbishop of South Africa. This led to the establishment of the Bo-Kaap by a Muslim community after being freed. A peaceful protest march of some 40,000 people in September 1989 helped to create the climate for similar demonstrations in other parts of South Africa, the subsequent release from prison of the African National Congress (ANC) leader Nelson Mandela, and the end of the system of apartheid. Taps and iron pipes were installed along major streets in the city. The Cape Town Legislative Council was also established in the same year. The Layers of History Run Deep. I hope that you will enjoy your journey through time.. Inland from Table Mountain, a second company farm was established at Newlands, and vines were planted on the slopes of Wynberg (“Wine Mountain”). The History of Cape Town – a Tourist Guide is a chronology of key dates in the history of Cape Town, from the earliest times. The reaction in the Cape Council was mixed, and eventually the British successfully invaded the Cape in the Battle of Muizenberg. Bartholomeu Dias arrived in 1488 after journeying south along the west coast of Africa. In 1854, the Cape Colony elected its first parliament, on the basis of the multiracial Cape Qualified Franchise, whereby suffrage qualifications applied universally, regardless of race. Following an outbreak of bubonic plague which was blamed on the native Africans, the natives were moved to two locations outside of the city, one of which was near the docks and the other at Ndabeni, about six km east of the city. In 1972 (when there were six nonwhite councillors) national legislation removed nonwhites from the electoral rolls over protests from the citizens. Besides the Portuguese, Dutch and British fleets also came to the Cape, but, in 1652, the Dutch were the first to develop a settlement at the Cape. He encountered a few hundred indigenous inhabitants, a Khoe people whose economy was based on herding, hunting, and gathering. Ensuing political developments now saw gradual moves towards greater independence from Britain and towards a degree of political inclusiveness. The city of Cape Town had its origin in 1652, when the Dutch East India Company established a refreshment station for its ships on the shores of Table Bay. [10] The group quickly erected shelters and laid out vegetable gardens and orchards, and are preserved in the Company's Garden. It was here, in the Mother City, where the first European colonists set foot in South Africa—which also marked the beginning of the South African slave trade. It is here that one comes across a 600-000-000-year-old mountain, it is here one can find fossil remains dating back 5 … Map of Cape Town and vicinity, from the 10th edition of. The University of Cape Town's historic … Thus, the Khoikhoi, in theory, were equal with the Europeans. The Ancients. At this point, the VOC had a monopoly on trade and prohibited any private trade. In 1803 the colony reverted to the Netherlands. Human communities had lived in the Cape Peninsula and Western Cape by hunting, fishing and collecting edible plants for many thousands of years. Devil’s Peak, one of the iconic points of the mountain which overlooks downtown Cape Town, was lit up by flames as the fire raged through the night. In June 1858 serious winter storms, which were a common occurrence, wrecked over 30 vessels. Cape Town Western Cape 8000 2 St. George's Cathedral DESCRIPTION: A landmark site for its role in South African history and a meeting place for modern day protests, St Georges Cathedral in the heart of Cape Town represents a time of change in South Africa. Suburban development, largely inland to the east and down the Cape Peninsula to the south, followed the radial roads and the railway line, construction of which began in 1859. It was not until 1913, however, three years after the formation of the Union of South Africa, that the town councils of Cape Town and several of the adjacent towns combined to form the City of Greater Cape Town. The location was magnificent, on well-watered, fertile soil, beneath the precipitous walls of Table Mountain. Under the terms of a peace agreement between Britain and France, the Cape was returned to the Dutch in 1802. The vagrancy and pass laws of 1809 were repealed in 1829. This period marked the first incident of segregation in the city. While its basic structures had already been set in place before the Great War, between 1919 and 1945 the town was transformed into an industrial city, particularly with the development of the docks and the growth of new manufacturing areas. The Huguenots had fled from anti-Protestant persecution in Catholic France to the Netherlands, where the VOC offered them free passage to the Cape as well as farmland. He encountered a few hundred indigenous inhabitants, a Khoe people whose economy was based on herding, hunting, and gathering. It was Home to perhaps the World’s most famous political prisoner—Nelson Mandela—who was held on the tiny Robben Island in Table Bay. The area known today as Cape Town has no written history before it was first mentioned by Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Dias in 1488. Cape Town was founded in 1652 when Jan van Riebeeck of the Dutch East India Company based in The Netherlands arrived to set up a halfway point for ships travelling to the East. But by 1780, France and Great Britain went to war against each other. The first European to anchor at Table Bay and climb Table Mountain was the Portuguese navigator António de Saldanha. A Short History of Cape Town. The area is also home to Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, and in 1990 it housed Nelson Mandela for his first night of freedom after his long incarceration. The mineral wealth generated in this period laid the foundation for an industrialised society. During the Seven Years’ War (1756–63), which involved the major European powers, many French and British ships called at the port, which from 1773 onward was referred to by British visitors as “Cape Town” (Afrikaans: Kaapstad). Free burghers were invited to join the court when matters concerning burghers were at issue, and burgher-councillors eventually took responsibility for services such as fire protection, road maintenance, and the preservation of order. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Population estimates for Cape Town, South Africa, 1950-2015", "City of Cape Town – 2011 Census – Cape Town", "Demographic and Socio-economic Trends for Cape Town: 1996 to 2007", "Provincial profile: Western Cape Community Survey 2016", http://www.cape-town.info/cape-town-information/history-of-cape-town/, "South African National Parks - SANParks - Official Website - Accommodation, Activities, Prices, Reservations", "Slavery and early colonisation in South Africa", "The Slave Mutiny on the slaver ship Meermin", https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-06-28-day-zero-is-called-off-for-now-but-restrictions-retained/, Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area, Lourens River Protected Natural Environment, Western Cape Division of the High Court of South Africa, Michaelis Collection at the Old Town House, William Fehr Collection at the Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town International Convention Centre, World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park, American International School of Cape Town, Cape Academy of Mathematics, Science and Technology, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_Cape_Town&oldid=1018814172, Articles needing additional references from November 2009, All articles needing additional references, Articles containing Afrikaans-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 20 April 2021, at 01:04.
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